I Always Will
by Queen What's-Her-Face
Summary: Marinette says goodbye to Adrien, Chat Noir tries to do the same to Ladybug. Based off of the Civil Wars song "Poison and Wine". I have three chapters planned out, so follow for notifications as to when I've updated! Oh, and reviewing is incredibly motivating...
1. Chapter 1

**Hello.**

 **I know that I haven't updated anything in, well a really long time. I've lost motivation for my Percy Jackson stories, and I'm having a hard time writing something light hearted, for my other Miraculous story. Not because of lack of trying, I'm just going through a dark patch right now. Um, please check out MareeWriter, they very kindly offered to edit my stories, but it never really worked out? Anywho, their stories are awesome. For this particular story, I think that it will have about three chapters.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Ladybug pressed her forehead against the cool, metal door of Adrien's bathroom door. Pressing her lips together and squeezing here eyelids shut, she slowly removed first her head, and then the hand placed next to it from the door. She took an unstable step back, her foot quiet as she backed up as if on the edge of a cliff. Ladybug couldn't take her eyes off of the door. It was simple: the white, sliding panel that separated the bathroom from Adrien's bedroom. But it wasn't simple, because even though it was thin, it represented a large barrier that stood between her and the love of her life. Nodding slowly, Ladybug turned, hurled her yoyo out of the large, glass windows, and flung herself out into the Parisian sky.

Swinging through the air, Ladybug tried to convince herself that the tears forming in her eyes were a result from the wind. She tried to convince herself that the reason she couldn't breathe was because she was moving so fast, and couldn't catch a breath. As she landed on her balcony, she dropped her transformation as she dropped into her bedroom. Marinette clutched both of her hands to her sternum, and gasped for air. She let out a silent, devastated cry, her knees giving out as she slid to the floor.

"Marinette, what's wrong?" Tikki chirped worriedly.

"I-I can't-I have to…I have to let him go," Marinette gulped, and looked directly at her kwami.

Tikki sighed, and patted Marinette's hand, "I'll always support you, Marinette."

Rising to a stand, Marinette climbed down her ladder, and into the work space of her room. She turned in a slow circle, looking at the pink walls, the walls covered in photos of Adrien. Marinette walked over to a clip from one of her favorite fashion magazines. Gently peeling the tape from the wall, she looked down sadly at the photo. "I can't afford to love you anymore," she whispered as she let the photo drift to the floor.

Marinette spent the rest of her afternoon carefully plucking every photo of Adrien off of her walls. Dozens of pictures loitered on her carpet, and with every photo Marinette took down, a small part of her died. The sun had set before she had completely removed any traces of Adrien from her room. She had tossed away the photos, tore down Adrien's schedule, and changed her screensaver.

Her mother came in to check on her, but Marinette was too distraught to notice, and Sabine smiled sadly, leaving a small plate of macaroons on her daughter's floor in case she got hungry. Marinette had run out of tears, and now was numbly pulling on her pajamas. As she climbed into her bed after setting her alarm clock fifteen minutes earlier than normal, she turned her head to Tikki, who was nestled in a small pillow to Marinette's left.

"I know what I have to do tomorrow."

* * *

Marinette arrived at the school with ten minutes before her first class started. She knew that Adrien would be there early as well, because of his zero-hour class schedule. Taking a deep breath Marinette walked up the front stairs of her school, and started across the court yard.

"Hey, girl," Marinette turned around and saw her best friend, Alya, waving at her, "You're on time for once!"

"Hi Alya," Marinette said, adjusting the straps of her pink backpack, "I need to talk to Adrien."

Her friend eyed her quizzically. Marinette assumed that it was because she typically avoided talking to Adrien.

But today wasn't typical.

"Hi Marinette," a deep voice floated into her ears. Marinette jumped around when she heard Adrien's voice.

"Adrien," Marinette said without a single stutter, "I have something in need to talk to you…"

The bell rang.

Marinette sighed, and closed her eyes.

"I'll tell you after school."

* * *

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, yet like a blink of an eye at the same time, the school day ended, and Marinette sought Adrien out. Turning around corners, ducking under stairways, and weaving through hundreds of students, she finally found him standing in the shaded part of the courtyard.

Steeling her nerves, Marinette marched over to him. Adrien smiled at her kindly, ran his long fingers through his golden hair, and asked, "What's up, Marinette?"

"Look, I have to do something, but before I do, I need to explain."

"Uh, okay. You know that if you ever need anything…"

"Adrien," Marinette cut him off, "I've been in love with you for the past year. Ever since I first met you."

Adrien's eyes widened.

"I got so caught up in how perfect you are to me, that I started to forget about my own importance. And even though you mean the world to me, you never really noticed me, because I think you're in love with someone else."

Adrien's eyes lowered.

"I can't keep going on like this-I need to let you go, which is hard to do, considering I never had you in the first place."

Adrien's eyes closed.

"But you've been a big part of my life this past school year. And to move forward there is something I need to do," Marinette finished, bringing her right hand up to Adrien's cheek. His eyes shot open, and widened when he felt Marinette's lips gently press against his own. Just as his body relaxed, Marinette pulled away.

"Goodbye, Adrien."

Marinette touched her lips and turned around. She walked away from Adrien, and headed down the stairs of her school, passing a dumbstruck Alya.

 _This is for the best_ , Marinette sighed to herself.

She left the school campus without looking back.

* * *

 **Up next: Chat Noir confronts Ladybug, as told from Adrien's perspective.**

 **Until next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello.**

 **Chapter two is up! It was kind of hard to write one part of it, because I had just recently gone through a similar situation with one of my friends. Also, I recommend listening to the Civil Wars' song, "Poison and Wine", while reading this. Lastly, the third chapter can go in one of two ways. Either a romantic, albeit tearful, realization, or pretty much a hardcore tragedy. I have excellent ideas for both, ones that I like, but I want to which one you guys would prefer. So leave a review for either scenario, and I'll figure out who had more votes and write the next chapter accordingly. I'll wait until Sunday night, and write the finale on Monday.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Adrien buried his forehead in the palm of his hand. He had messed up, he knew he had. He had always just assumed that Marinette was scared of him, or something along those lines.

How could he have been so blind?

When Adrien lifted his head, he looked up to find the entire school staring at him in silence. Not even Chloe, who had been on her way over to him, made a noise, or a movement. Adrien clutched the strap of his messenger bag, gritted his teeth and walked out of the school's courtyard, not making eye contact with anyone.

He ran down the steps in front of the school, and walked briskly into the silver luxury car waiting for him. The Gorilla snuck a glance at him through the rear view mirror, and the two made eye contact. "I don't really feel like talking right now. Let's just go home."

* * *

Adrien stalked up to his massive bedroom. He flung open the door, slammed it shut, and threw his bag on the floor.

"Watch it kid," Plagg whined, floating up to Adrien's face. In response, Adrien just blinked at his kwami, and fell face first onto his plush bed.

"I feel…I don't know how to feel," Adrien said, voice muffled. Plagg sighed, and grabbed a wheel of camembert from Adrien's night stand.

"Just let it out," Plagg said between large bites of his favorite cheese.

"I didn't know that Marinette…it's just, I don't like her in the same way that she…" Adrien sighed, "She is such an amazing person-and I want her to be happy, but I…I love Ladybug."

Plagg didn't say anything, and Adrien didn't even hear the sound of Plagg devouring his cheese.

"But you know, maybe Marinette had the right idea. Maybe there is a point when you can't love someone anymore. Maybe," Adrien blinked back a stray tear, "Maybe I should move on too."

"What are you saying, kid?" Plagg gasped, dropping his camembert.

"I'm saying that I need to let Ladybug go."

"But..."

"She'll always be my lady, Plagg, but I'm starting to lose hope that she'll ever return my feelings," he rolled over, rubbing his eyes roughly with the palm of his hands. He drew in a raged breath.

He would tell her tonight.

* * *

The night sky was dark, but the full moon illuminated the curves of his lady's face.

"Chat…"

He studied her face, knowing that with the exception of fighting akumas, he'd probably never see her again.

"Chat…" Ladybug said, concern creeping into her throat.

He blinked. Shaking his head, he was about to speak when Ladybug cut him off.

"Chat, what's wrong?" she asked, reaching a hand out. Chat gently grabbed her wrist, and slowly brought her arm back down before she could place her hand on his shoulder. Her eyes grew wide, and step took a small step back, "Chat, you're scaring me."

"This isn't going to be easy, milady. But I…I have to do something and please hear me out first, okay?" Chat said, not finding it I him to use any puns. Ladybug nodded her head, eyebrows knit together.

"You are the love of my life. From the moment I first saw you, I thought to myself, I want to spend the rest of my life with this girl."

Ladybug's eyes widened.

"I wanted it so badly, but I guess you never saw me the same way? And I'm not mad, really I'm not, but I kinda feel like you already love someone."

Ladybug's eyes lowered.

"And all I want is for you to be happy-even if that means that I'm not the one making you smile."

Ladybug's eyes closed.

"But I can't do this anymore. I can't pretend that I'm okay when we're out patrolling anymore. I…I'm going to patrol on my own from now on."

Chat watched as his lady's face contorted into shock, her eyes springing open and her mouth falling open.

"Here comes the part where I do something, probably something incredibly drastic. I'm going to borrow some wisdom from a frien…someone that I know. It seemed to give them closure"

"What do you mean Chaton? Are you going to hurt your…" Ladybug rambled in a panic, when Chat cupped the sides of her face, and pulled her into a deep, fierce , heart stopping kiss. Just as her knees gave out, and Chat wrapped an arm around her waist for support, Ladybug froze.

Chat took that as his queue to let go and step back, his fingers trailing down her cheek as he smiled sadly. He looked into her dazed eyes and said, "Goodbye, milady."

He turned around and pulled out his silver baton. Extending it, he was about to launch himself over the rooftops of Paris when he heard Ladybug cry out, "Chat-please wait!"

Chat stiffened, he knew he should go, but he couldn't seem to make his legs work. Ladybug ran up behind him, and he winced when he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Chat, please, turn around."

Slowly, Chat faced his lady. He was startled by the clarity and the urgency her face held. Her features were set in a determined, but if in an almost terrified sort of way.

Drawing a deep breath, Ladybug said, "I need to know who you are underneath this mask."

* * *

 **Wow.**

 **So don't forget to review and vote!**

 **Until next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello.**

 **So first off, I'm sorry that I didn't post this sooner. A lot has been going on lately, and I can't post as much as I wish I could. I am almost done with a couple one-shots, and I'm not sure when I can find the inspiration to finish A Tale of Two Awkward Teenagers, but I will when I feel like I've found a good direction.**

 **Thanks so much for reading/understanding.**

* * *

 _"_ _I need to know who you are underneath the mask."_

Chat Noir's eyes widened. He took a step closer to Ladybug, and he heard her breath hitch.

"Why now? I've been wanting…" he practically hissed when Ladybug cut him off

"Chat please-This will be the last thing I'll ever ask of you, please," Ladybug pleaded, grabbing his glove covered hand.

Chat closed his eyes. Letting out a breath, he dropped his transformation, a blinding green light enveloping his body.

Ladybug shielded her eyes from the light. When she was sure that she slowly uncovered them to see…

…To see Adrien Agreste.

A hand flew to her mouth and she turned away. She didn't want him to see the tears streaming down her cheeks. She was right, she couldn't believe it, but she was right. Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir, her partner, and her best friend. It was only when Chat-Adrien had kissed her that she had connected the dots.

"Milady, say something," Adrien said softly, anxiety laced in his words.

Instead of saying anything, Ladybug collapsed on the roof top, her body shaking as she wept into her hands.

Adrien wasn't expecting that to happen. He had expected her to be disappointed that it was only him underneath his mask, but not so upset that her legs couldn't support her anymore. Tears welled up in his peridot eyes, and he took a shaky step back.

"I get it, you're disappointed that…" Adrien started, when Ladybug's head snapped up.

"Adrien, no I'm-hiccup- not disappointed. I'm…I'm-hiccup-not-hiccup-I just wasn't expecting this…at all," Ladybug said between sobs.

Adrien's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, his heart pounded, and he ran his hand through his hair nervously.

Ladybug caught her breath. With shaking arms, she pushed herself up, onto her feet. She turned back around and looked Adrien directly in the eyes.

"This day can't really get any weirder, and it?" She mused, slowly stepping closer to her partner.

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked.

Instead of answering, Ladybug took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and dropped her transformation.

Adrien's eyes widened.

"Mari…Marinette?" Adrien whispered, shock seeping onto his face.

Marinette looked up at him shyly, "S-see what I mean?"

A thousand thoughts raced through Adrien's mind. He couldn't kiss Marinette back because he loved ladybug, and Ladybug couldn't kiss Chat Noir back because she loved Adrien…

But Marinette _was_ Ladybug.

But Adrien _was_ Chat Noir.

He didn't hesitate.

He stepped forward, grabbed Marinette by the shoulders to pull her into him, and wrapped his arms around her waist. He buried his head in her neck, and let out a strangled cry.

Marinette's eyes widened. She tentatively reached up to slip her fingers into Adrien's honey-hued hair. Blinking back tears, she put her other hand on his shoulder, and gently pushed him back. He didn't let go of Marinette, and Marinette didn't let go of him, but confusion crossed his face.

Marinette gently placed her hand on the side of his face, her pinky tracing his jawline.

"Kitty," Marinette smiled through uneven breaths.

"Princess," Adrien smiled, tears glistening down his cheeks.

And suddenly, Adrien's lips found Marinette's.

The kiss was different from the last two. Marinette's arms flung around Adrien's neck, her forearm rose to tangle her fingers in his hair. Adrien gripped her waist with one arm, and let the other one clutch the space between Marinette's shoulder blades.

They broke apart for air. Marinette smiled, and Adrien let out a shaky laugh. It was a simple kiss, one with no confusion, or miscommunication.

It was beautiful.

"Marinette, I love you." Adrien whispered.

"And I love you too, Kitty," Marinette smiled, and closed the distance between the two once again.

Just as their lips were about to meet, an explosion snapped them out of their trance. Adrien's head snapped to the side, looking at the source of the commotion, and Marinette groaned, and let her head drop onto Adrien's chest.

"Come on Kitty," Marinette sighed, voice muffled by his shirt, "We should probably handle that."

"Anything for you, bugaboo."

* * *

 **AND TADA! I Always Will is complete! It doesn't quite feel real, but I like it!**

 **If you don't mind, please review, and if you want me to, I will probably post the not-so-happy ending if enough people would like to read it.**

 **Thank you all so much.**

 **Until next time.**


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